20

I turned 20 the day before yesterday.

How do I feel? Happy!

Many people say they are not ready to not be a teen but I think that I just couldn't wait to get out of it. I spent so much of my teens, especially my late teens, being miserable and down about a lot of things. However it hasn't been so bad - academically I've achieved a lot (Passing my GCSEs, A-Levels and getting a high 2.1 in 2nd year), I've been able to learn a little bit more about myself and I've made some amazing friends.

But I am determined to make this decade the best ever - this is when I'll graduate, get my career on track, meet more people, travel a lot more, develop even more into a woman and maybe even meet someone special...

This is the first time that I've actually felt different - This is my decade to be bigger and better.

I am looking forward to taking it on.

Olola

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Delilah - Inside My Love

I'm not usually a big fan of covers especially when I am a fan of the original but I love this.

Minnie Riperton's version is timeless but I think this version brings it a bit of British edginess to it.

I've always interpreted this song to be a very sexual.

You still get a sense of that in this:

Like really slow passionate sex.

Olola

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Shuga

Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Shuga is a drama about 'sex, love and money'. These are a group of young african juggling studies, career ambitions and the general temptations of life with the everyday risk of HIV. I've enjoyed watching the two series so far and even though we are a world apart I can draw so many similarities between their world and mine.

If I remember correctly the image above is from the 4th episode of the 2nd season as they celebrate a birthday of one of the characters. This image I think captures elation - you forget where they are and that a few of them are HIV positive.

In this moment they are just a bunch of adults, that could be in any city in the world, happy.

I'd love to capture a moment like this in my life.

I really hope there's a third series.

Olola

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Kleerup ft Lykke Li - Until We Bleed

To love until one bleeds.

I think that says it all.

That's the sort of love I'll be giving.

Nothing less.

Olola

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Music Today

I've been thinking over the past couple of days that a lot of music I've been hearing recently is just really, how can I put it - Crap! I feel nothing anymore. I love discovering new stuff but a lot of the mainstream stuff is just so uninspiring and similar.

I was going through the music on my computer and MP3 and I have found that I am no longer so excited as it has been a while since I've added to the collection. It's lacking something - I need to discover new artists and material that touches me. I remember years ago I'd listen to Sigur Ros, Keane, Coldplay and other random songs and cry...some of those songs were so cathartic. But now I am looking for new stuff that will capture my imagination and take me somewhere else - provide me with an out of body experience but just hitting a brick wall instead.

Recently I found that I am discovering things that had been released years ago - harking back instead. I think that's the way forward really because a lot of what I have found that is apparently 'the future' is just absolute and utter bull.

But I won't stop looking; it'll be difficult to find decent stuff but I'll keep at it and hopefully discover timeless gems.

Olola

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'Night is Purer than Day'

“Night is purer than day; it is better for thinking and loving and dreaming. At night everything is more intense, more true. The echo of words that have been spoken during the day takes on a new and deeper meaning. The tragedy of man is that he doesn’t know how to distinguish between day and night. He says things at night that should only be said by day.”

- Elie Wiesel, Dawn

This is taken from his book dawn. I don't why it is but I feel much happier and comfortable at night. Everything does seem 'more true' and clearer; I am more productive then. It's my time to refelct on the errors of the day and think of ways to rectify them. I love the night! 

Hawaiian Themed Cake

The butter and sugar mixture - 500g of each

It was my housemate's birthday recently and as usual I like to bake a cake. This took me 5 hours to completely make and I stayed up all night doing it as she was asleep up stairs.
The theme for her party was Hawaiii so I thought it would be a good idea to make a cake to match the theme.
I googled ideas and came across this one which was perfect. The only thing was I had no recipe for it just a picture so I had to improvise and think of ingredients that would give the desired effects.



The 6 eggs were added to the mixture on the left and stirred will. Then 500g of flour and vanilla extract was added.
On the right this the result after the cake has been placed in the oven for just over an hour (I think). I had to watch it carefully as my oven is really powerful.

 The cake was left to cool for about half an hour before I completely coated it with butter cream (as seen on the left). This was done to ensure that the decorative pieces stuck to it. I then created  'beach fence' using wafer sticks.

 Luckily the wafers stayed on. I think the one mistake I made was decorating th cake straight away because the wafers eventually dried out by the time the cake was ready to be eaten - but I sort of had no choice as the cake was meant to be a surprise.

 I then crunched up digestive buscuits to make 'sand'. I was quite surprised at how well it came out - though I was quite worried about how it would taste as sometimes I can find digestives to be bit too dry. It worked though.                  

 I then bought a lai and removed some of the flower from it and stuck them into the cake to make a 'flower bed'. I had pictured this in my head over and over again but the fact that it turned out better than I had imagined (right) made me so happy.

I am always sceptical about how the things I make taste; I don't mind eating it but when other people eat it, I start to worry. Luckily I got positive reviews and the cake was pretty much gone by the end of the night. Success!!

 Olola

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